An application programming interface (API) is a set of protocols, procedures, and tools that are used to build software applications. API documentation specifies how other software components interact with the API based on its definition. APIs may also be used to show the results in a graphical user interface (GUI) components. An API may expose at least some functions and/or data of a software application that enables other applications to use resources of the API without concern for implementation of the functions or data.
APIs enable integration of computer applications and interactivity between computing systems. In website development, computer application development, and in other implementations, developers may incorporate one or more APIs. The APIs may be implemented to access or interface with another computing system or computing application. For example, the API may be used to access information, submit queries, transmit data, etc. from a remote computing system via a communication network.
Before the incorporation of the APIs into the computer application, the developer may evaluate one or more of a large number of available APIs. For instance, an application developer be building a simple weather application. The application developer may has several options such as an API provided by Google®, Weather.com®, AccuWeather®, Yahoo® weather, etc. The application developer may test out the available APIs before incorporating one of the available APIs into the weather application.
In some existing systems, an API evaluation interface may be used by the developer. In the API evaluation interface, the developer manually enters parameters to test a single endpoint within the API under evaluation. For instance, to evaluate an online music API, the developer may have to manually input an access Token, a set of parameters such as “playlistId,” an “ownerId,” a “userId,” etc. Each of these parameters are manually entered (e.g., typed) into the API evaluation interface. The API evaluation interface receives the parameters and evaluates the functionality of the API based on the parameters. For instance, the API evaluation interface may confirm whether the API output is as expected or advertised, whether the output returns the correct values, etc. Accordingly, evaluation of a large number of APIs may be time consuming, resource intensive, and inefficient.
The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments, such as those described. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one example technology area where some embodiments described herein may be practiced.